Virus
by Envirosuit
Summary: Set in the U-Genix building, 2054. A team of scientists accidentally unleash a horrific threat upon themselves, and attempt to survive. Based off of the Virus arcade game.


Virus

I do not own anything

* * *

Quentin Winters isn't a runner. Sure, he's thin, and sure, he's fitter than a lot of others that he knows but still, he is no runner.

His work in advanced genetic research means he has to work in a large white suit, with a light blue tinted visor. He isn't the best runner, but he's safe from what he's running from.

He hopes.

He had been working in a lab, with Brian Kipling and Jessica Smyth, who both wore similar suits to his own. Quentin had been examining a particularly strange genome he had cut from a, as far as he could say, zombie.

Apparently, the old Mansion of Aidan Browning in Connecticut that had burned down in 1994 had walking corpses littering the area. Naturally, before the vultures of the media could see these grotesque creatures, a team of 'Inceptors' for U-Genix, which was in its infancy back then.

Now, in the year 2054, and after several years of preservation and seeing what attracted and repelled the strange creatures, Quentin had his chance to dissect one of the monstrosities.

And the scientific advances that could have been achieved! My, they were magnificent! The possible advances for Gene-Splitting, as well as military advancements made because of the lethal genome were profoundly astonishing!

Quentin had carefully placed the stored genome, which was held in a vacuum inside a lead casing, into a machines clawed grip, before beginning the programming sequence for the claw.

That was when the two corporate spies, as Quentin assumed, came by.

Their interruption had caught the attention of Jessica, who was about to sedate one of their gene-spliced subjects. She had looked to see the source of the noise, before the monstrosity had punched a fist straight through her stomach.

Brian, who had been sending his team report to the administrator, Mr Crow, noticed this immediately through the shielded window, and screamed.

His muffled voice had made its way to Quentin's ears, who had pressed a wrong key in shock. This particular action caused the claw to crush the genome's casing, allowing it to spread viciously fast throughout the air.

After the 'Freak' had removed its arm from Jessica, the two Security guards on station tore several holes into its torso with their LX-18 pistols. One guard then made his way over to Jessica, with the other moving back to his post at the door, tuning into his radio to find out who had passed by.

Jessica was losing a lot of blood, and she was being supported by the gruff Security officer, Randall Baxter.

As she had finished saying her thanks, she had abruptly frozen up. The genome in the air had made its way to her and, with her environmental safety suit being punctured, made its way into her system. The virus immediately targeted her red blood cells, turning them all green with an anomalous substance.

Almost at once, the infected blood cells set aflame, reacting violently with the oxygen in the air.

Jessica screamed, her body set aflame with green fire, her body viciously seizing up, before she abruptly stopped, and lay still.

The officer at the door, Gary Turing, had bellowed in shock,

"What the fuck just happened?!"

As Randall turned to reply, Jessica had shot up from the floor, her green, burning corpse screaming unintelligible words, before jumping onto Randall's back.

Randall screamed as Jessica tore into his back, her hands tearing away at his uniform. His gasmask had protected him from the fumes, but this suit breach, as well as contact with an infected individual, was too much.

The virus jumped to Randall, consuming him in bright green flames, all as he screamed, begging for help.

Gary stood at the door, watching this unfold with a frightened expression hidden beneath his gasmask, before he pressed the button for the lockdown sequence to the door, before running for his life towards the labs main door.

Quentin and Brian, both fearing for the lives, immediately followed suit, after witnessing Jessica clamber off of Randall's back, and the two of them surging towards the door, putting several cracks into the bulletproof glass.

The door would not hold them for long.

They had to run.

* * *

Quentin, Brian and Gary all run, as they hear the sound of glass shattering, and the screaming of burning individuals.

Before long, they all appear at a fork in the corridor. Quentin lays a hand on his left knee, panting in exhaustion. Brian, being several pounds overweight, near collapses as soon as they stop. Gary is the only one not completely tired, years of running serving him well.

Gary looks behind, only to see the two infected missing. He then looks to the other two, deciding they'll need to work as a team to survive.

"Winters, Kipling, you two good to run?"

Brian, who is completely doubled over in exhaustion, manages to wheeze a raspy "No." from his environmental safety suit.

Quentin however, nods to Gary, but doesn't say anything, so as to conserve his breath and recover faster.

"Right then, we should take the left corridor. That'll take us through the main labs and to the elevator."

"Why the elevator? Wouldn't the stairs be faster?" Quentin questions, wondering why they shouldn't take the stairs instead.

"The elevators' faster, and it'll give us more safety than the stairs can."

"Alright then, lead the way."

The three jog in a single file towards the elevator, with Brian falling behind, and green, bloody carnage being seen in the labs they pass.

"They're infecting everyone." Quentin mutters, seeing Sister Faith and Brothers Bartholomew and Terry run at the glass and start punching it with all of their strength, Brother Bartholomew even missing one of his arms.

"Yeah, the inceptors can't even lay a hand on 'em with that virus going around. Cloned or not, that virus still affects 'em." Gary replies, seeing an Inceptress get jumped upon by two infected freaks and three zombies.

"Wait, how come the zombies aren't affected?" Gary wonders, seeing the infected not making a move towards them.

"The virus stems from them, we just slightly modified it for chemical weapon usage; so because they already have the virus, just not one that reacts as violently as this one does." Quentin answers him; feeling horrified at the results of what he had created.

The two then stop, waiting for Brian to catch up. After about 5 seconds, he manages to grace them with his presence.

"C- can we st- stop for a bit?" He wheezes out, his obesity tiring him out.

"We have to keep moving, we're nearly at th-"

Before Gary could finish his sentence, the glass behind them broke, and an infected Security officer practically flies at the group, slamming into Brian with tremendous force. Brian is carried into another lab window which shatters upon impact, whereupon Brian is dragged kicking and screaming into that lab by infected individuals.

"Run!" Quentin screams, breaking into a fierce sprint besides Gary as the two charge for the elevator that is a lab and a corridor away.

As the two run like the devil itself was chasing them, they realised that there is always a large number of Inceptors stationed within the main lab, and the virus has most likely been carried down here already.

After a corridor long sprint of hearing infected snarls, crackling fires, and the screams of those less fortunate than the two, the see the main door for the lab ahead. Gary thinks quickly, and puts on a desperate burst of speed to open the door.

As he reaches the automatic doors which slide straight open, he is forced to stop for a second, while giving Quentin a chance to run unhindered.

A second is all it takes.

As the door slides open, two infected inceptors sprint into Gary, bowling him over with their strength. He immediately tries to reach for his pistol, but it is found to be pointless when a fist smashes one of his gasmasks eyes, leaving him exposed and infected.

Quentin keeps sprinting as the infected notice him, their green fire showing him their locations. Gary's screams reach his suited ears as Quentin dives into the elevator, and starts mashing the button for the ground floor.

He finds that the power to his level has been cut, due to the lockdown.

He realises that there is no escape.

As his eyes quickly dart back to the main lab, green fire consumes his masked vision.


End file.
